The Trump administration on Thursday will present updated plans for the president’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission.
It’s all part of a formal review process.
Last month, officials applied to that panel and the Commission of Fine Arts, sharing renderings already available on the White House website.
President Trump announced plans for a new ballroom in October and immediately went to work tearing down the White House’s East Wing.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block construction of the ballroom. It argued that Mr. Trump violated federal law by not submitting plans for review.
The administration had argued that because the East Room was on White House grounds, it had the final say on the project.
As legal challenges began to mount, the White House submitted plans for the ballroom to multiple review agencies.
A federal judge last year ruled that the ballroom project can advance as long as the White House goes through the standard review process. Justice Department lawyers said they would follow through.
Next week, the White House will present plans to the Commission of Fine Arts.
The administration is expected to make final pitches to that commission in February and the National Capital Planning Commission in March.
The review by the National Capital Planning Commission is largely expected to be perfunctory.
Mr. Trump last year appointed Will Scharf, one of his personal attorneys, to head the commission. Mr. Scharf said a review of the plans before the demolition was unnecessary.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump fired the entire board of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent agency created by Congress to advise the president on historical preservation.
